Apparatus for lasting the toes of shoes



June 1963 w. A. VORNBERGER 3,091,783

APPARATUS FOR LASTING THE TOES 0F SHOES Original Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. Wa/fer 4. lbrnberger FIG-2 BY W ATTY June 4, 1963 w. A. VORNBERGER 3,091,783

APPARATUS FOR LASTING THE TOES OF SHOES Original Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 60 FIG. 3

FIG-7 United States Patent 7 Claims. (Cl. 127.1)

' This application is a division of pending application Serial No. 115,405, filed June 7, 196-1.

This invention relates to the lasting of the toes of shoes, particularly pointed toe shoes.

In the lasting of the toes of pointed toe shoes by wiping the lasting margin of the shoe upper down upon the insole while the upper and insole are mounted on a last having converging sides meeting at a relatively sharp tip, it has been found that the crowding together of the margin at the relatively sharp toe causes the upper material to form pleats and to create stresses which can crack the upper stock under the pressures generated during wiping. In addition, the pleats are undesirable and must be removed before the subsequent outsole laying operation can be performed.

An object of this invention is to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by utilizing a novel method of lasting the shoes, which method forms the invention of the aforesaid application. The method comprises the steps of first wiping the upper material at the toe of the shoe located along the sides leaving unwiped the upper material located at and adjacent the tip. This is followed by a wiping of the upper material at and adjacent the tip and a concurrent cutting into the pleats formed in the wiped margin. By these steps, there is no Wiping stress at the tip when the pleats are formed and the pleats are cut at the time of applying wiping stress to the tip, thereby alleviating the undesirable stresses in the upper margin and cutting the undesired pleats.

The instant invention is directed to an apparatus for carrying out the method. The apparatus comprises a pair of wipers having coplanar undersurfaces, forwardly divergent side surfaces and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces. A bridging element somewhat similar to that disclosed in pending applications Serial No. 64,033, filed October 21, 1960 and Serial No. 76,559, filed December 19, 1960, now Patent No. 3,059,256 granted Oct. 23, 1962 is provided that extends laterally from the opposed surface of one wiper into a groove in the opposed surface of the other wiper. The bridging element of the instant application, unlike the bridging element of the above cited pending applications is bevelled at its forward end so that its upper and under surfaces meet at an acute angle to form a sharp cutting edge located above the undersurfaces of the wipers and the bridging element. Means are provided to move the wipers forwardly toward the last and to concomitantly move the forward ends of the divergent surfaces inwardly toward each other and to move the opposed surfaces away from each other to thereby cause the divergent surfaces to move across the last and wipe the side portions of the lasting margin upon the insole followed by a movement of the bridging element across the tip of the last to last the tip portion of the lasting margin and concomitantly cut the pleated material.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a lasting machine;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a portion of the lasting machine with the cover of the machine removed to expose the wipers to view;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the wipers in a retracted position;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the wipers in an advanced position;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the wiper having the bridging element;

FIGURE 6 is a bottom view of the wiper having the bridging element taken along the line 66 of FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom view of the wiper having the recess that receives the bridging element; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional schematic representation of the bridging element as it engages the shoe.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the machine comprises a frame 18 carrying wipers 10, 12 supported on a wiper support 14 for sliding movement in a horizontal plane toward and away from a shoe support 16 made substantially in accordance with the shoe support disclosed in Patent No. 2,668,967. The shoe support comprises a toe rest 20 and a heel pin 22 mounted on a carriage 24 for'vertical movement toward and away from the plane of movement of the wipers. The piston rod 25 of a fluid actuated motor 26 is connected to the carriage 24 to effect its vertical movement.

The wipers are mounted in wiper cams 28 having cam slots 30 and 32 extending therethrough. The wiper support 14 has upstanding pins 34- and 36 that lit in the slots 30 and 32. The wiper cams are pivotally connected by links 38 to a slide 40 that is slidably mounted on the wiper support. The slide is connected by linkage 42 to the piston rod 44 of a fluid actuated motor 46 to effect horizontal movement of the slide.

Control linkage 48 is operatively connected to the motor 26 through a valve 50 to effect the vertical movement of the piston rod 25 and the carriage 24. The motors 26 and 4 6 are operated through a handle 52 in such a manner that horizontal movement of the handle causes a corresponding horizontal movement of the wipers, and rotation of the handle about its axis causes a corresponding vertical movement of the shoe support. Reference is made to Patent No. 2,888,693 for a more detailed disclosure of the mechanism for moving the wipers and shoe support in response to the manipulation of the handle 52.

If it is found desirable, flexible shoe conforming means 54, similar to that disclosed in pending application Serial No. 50,177, filed August 17, 1960, may be provided. The shoe conforming means includes a deformable yoke 56 positioned below the path of movement of the wipers and adapted to embrace the shoe and snugly conform the shoe upper to the shape of the last which is mounted on the shoe support during downward movement of the shoe support.

The wipers 10, 12, as illustrated in FIGURES 3 through 7 are thin plates, preferably made of steel, having substantially flat upper surfaces 58 and 60 and substantially flat undersu-rfaces 62 and 64. The upper surfaces 58, 60 and the undersurfaces 62, 64 are located in common planes when the wipers are assembled in the machine. The wipers have divergent side surfaces 66 and 68 that are adapted to embrace the end of a shoe and which meet at a point 70 when the wipers are in their retracted position. Rearwardly of the point 70, the wipers have opposed side surfaces 72 and 74 that are in abutting relationship when the wipers are in their retracted position.

A pair of substantially semi-circular complemental recesses 76 and 78 are provided in the wiper undersurfaces 62 and 64, the recesses intersecting the surfaces 72 and 74. A bridging element 80 is secured in the recess 76 and extends into the recess 78 when the wipers are in their retracted position. The bottom surface 82 of The above described wipers are intended primarily in.

the lasting of the toes of shoes having relatively sharp points at their toe ends. The Wiper side surfaces 66 and 68 and the cam slots 30 and 32 are so constructed that forward movement of the slide 40 causes the wipers to move forwardly and at the same time swing toward each other about an axislocated forwardly of the point 70". A last 86 having a shoe upper 88 and insole 90 assembled thereon (see FIGURES 4' and 8) is placed bottom up on the shoe support 16 with the toe of the last resting on the toe rest 20 and the heel pin 22 inserted in the conventional spindle hole in the last. The support to is initially positioned so that the upwardly facing surface of the insole 90 is above the undersurfaces of the wipers. The shoe support is lowered to a position where to upwardly facing surface of the insole is positioned below the undersurfaces of the wipers an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the lasting margin. During this downward movement the shoe conforming means 54 causes the upper to snugly conform to the shape of the last and the lasting margin 92 of the upper to extend upwardly of the insole.

Adhesive may now be applied into the angle between the lasting margin and the insole to adhesively bond the lasting margin to the'insole during the subsequent wiping operation. Alternatively, precemented. uppers, having pressure sensitive adhesive thereon which becomes activated under the pressure generated during wiping, may be used. It is also within the purview of the invention to secure the lasting margin to the insole by conventional fastening means such as tacks or staples after the wiping operation.

I After the aforesaid downward movement of the shoe support, the motor 46 is operated to move the wipers forwardly and cause them to wipe or fold the. lasting margin of the upper at the toe end thereof down against the insole moving the wipers from the FIGURE 3 position to the FIGURE 4 position. During this movement, the surfaces 66 and 68 move toward each other at the forward ends, and the rearward ends of the surfaces 66 and 68 and the" surfaces 72 and 74 move away from each other. This results in the surfaces 66 and 68 moving over the sides 94 and 96 of the last rearwardly of the tip of the last to wipe the lasting margin along the sides of the last, leaving unwiped the lasting margin at the tip of the last. This wiping action causes pleats 98 to be formed in the wiped in lasting margin between the wipers adjacent the tip of the last. The separation of the surfaces 72 and 74 causes the bridging element 89 to be exposed so that it moves against the tip of the lasting margin left unwiped by the wiper surfaces 66 and 68 soon after they have moved over the last. The undersurface 82 of the bridging element serves to wipe the portion of the lasting margin at and adjacent the tip down against the insole while the cutting edge 84 serves to cut the pleated upper material as indicated in FIGURES 8. By'

making the undersurface 82 of the bridging element coplanar with the wiper undersurfaces and providing the cutting edge 84above the surface 82, the bridging element serves to both wipe the upper margin at and adjacent the tip and cut the surplus upper stock crowded together at the toe.

During the forward movement of the wipers over the insole, the motor 26 is operated to apply an upward force and thereby provide pressure between the insole and the wipers, and at the termination of the forward movement of the Wipers the pressure may be increased to iron or bed the lasting margin. At the completion of the lasting operation, the shoe support is lowered by the 4 motor 26, the wipers are retracted by the motor 46 and the shoe support is then raised to its initial position by the motor 26.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last; a bridging element mounted on one of said wipers rearwardly of its divergent surface extending laterally toward the other wiper; a sharp cutting edge located on the forward end of the bridging element; and drive means connected to the wipers for moving them forwardly toward the last and concomitantly moving the forward ends of the divergent surfaces inwardly across the last.

2. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces; a bridging element extending laterally from the opposed side surface of one of said wipers toward the opposed side surface of the other wiper; a sharp cutting edge on the forward end of the bridging element; and drive means connected to the wipers for moving them forwardly toward the last and concomitantly moving the forward ends of the divergent surfaces inwardly across the last and the opposed surfaces away from each other.

3. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces; a bridging element extending laterally from the opposed surface of one of said wipers toward the opposed surface of the other wiper; a sharp cutting edge on the forward end of the bridging element; and drive means connected to the wipers for moving them forwardly toward the last and concomitantly swinging the divergent surfaces inwardly across the last about an axis located forwardly of the point of intersection of the divergent surfaces.

4-. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having flat coplanar undersurfaces, forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces; a bridging element extending laterally from the opposed surface of one of said wipers toward the opposed surface of the other wiper, said bridging element having a sharp cutting edge in its forward end and a flat undersurface coplanar with the wiper undersurfaces; and drive means connected to the Wipers for moving them forwardly toward the last and concomitantly moving the forward ends of the divergent surfaces toward each other andthe opposed surfaces away from each other.

5. The lasting machine according to claim 4 wherein the sharp cutting edge is located above the undersurface of the bridging element.

6. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having flat coplanar undersurfaces, forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces; a bridging element extending laterally from the opposite surface of one of said wipers toward the opposed surface of the other wiper, said bridging element having a fiat undersurface coplanar with the wiper undersurfaces and a sharp cutting edge on its forward end located above its undersurface; a recess in the undersurface of said other wiper intersecting its opposed surface and adapted to accommodate said bridging element, said recess having a depth at least equal to the thickness of the bridging element; and drive means connected to the wipers for moving them forwardly and concomitantly moving the forward ends of the divergent surfaces toward each other and the opposed surfaces away from each other.

7. In an end lasting machine having a shoe support for supporting a last having a shoe upper and insole mounted thereon; a pair of wipers having flat coplanar under- Surfaces, forwardly divergent side surfaces embracing an end of the last and opposed side surfaces located rearwardly of the divergent surfaces; a bridging element extending laterally from the opposed surface of one of said 15 Wipe-rs toward the opposed surface of the other wiper, said bridging element having a fiat undersurface coplanar with the wiper undersurfaces, the upper and under surfaces of the bridging element meeting at its forward end at an acute angle to form a sharp cutting edge located above the bridging element undersurface; and drive means connected to the wipers for moving them forwardly toward the last and concomitantly moving the forward ends of the divergent surfaces toward each other and the opposed 10 surfaces away from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,032,790 Schwabe May 8, 1962 

1. IN AN END LASTING MACHINE HAVING A SHOE SUPPORT FOR SUPPORTING A LAST HAVING A SHOE UPPER AND INSOLE MOUNTED THEREON; A PAIR OF WIPERS HAVING FORWARDLY DIVERGENT SIDE SURFACES EMBRACING AN END OF THE LAST; A BRIDGING ELEMENT MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID WIPERS REARWARDLY OF ITS DIVERGENT SURFACE EXTENDING LATERALLY TOWARD THE OTHER WIPER; A SHARP CUTTING EDGE LOCATED ON THE FORWARD END OF THE BRIDGING ELEMENT; AND DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE WIPERS FOR MOVING THEM FORWARDLY TOWARD THE LAST AND CONCOMITANTLY MOVING THE FORWARD ENDS OF THE DIVERGENT SURFACES INWARDLY ACROSS THE LAST. 